Fluropolymers have found widespread use in demanding applications where their non-stick properties, good thermal and chemical resistance, toughness and abrasion resistance are being used to advantage, such as in coatings.
The present invention provides new copolymers of fluorine-containing acrylic monomers with non-fluorinated acrylic monomers, which can be made under free-radical polymerization conditions. These copolymers are amorphous and optically clear, and have low refractive indexes. Being soluble in specific organic solvents, their solutions can be used to make coatings and to cast films, which are cross-linkable. These coatings are strongly adherent to substrates, including glass, polymer films and crystal substrates.
These new copolymers fill a need for coating materials which have the superior properties of fluoropolymers--such as low refractive index and surface energy, good thermal and chemical resistance--and which at the same time have strong adhesion, flexibility, toughness, and abrasion resistance. The polymeric compositions of the present invention combine these properties.